2011 Rhone
2011 has yielded a larger, more normal harvest and a set of wines which will not fail to please. In point of fact they are closer in style to 2006 than 2008, having more energy and equilibrium than the latter. Stéphane Ogier describes the vintage as ‘gourmande’, ‘digeste’ and ‘séduisant’.
Vintage Assessment Northern Rhône
Michel Chapoutier is not alone in detecting similarities between 2011 and 1991. Both followed a brace of superlative vintages and both had rather uneven growing seasons, unusual even. Indeed 1991 took rather a long time to achieve its due recognition; hopefully the same will not apply to 2011, for all the sound and fury associated with its immediate forebears.
The vintage, in a nutshell, was hot, then cold, then hot again, a meteorological sandwich which defied normal weather patterns to the point of near inversion. Temperatures normally associated with July were experienced in both March and September, and vice versa. The early and admittedly highly satisfactory flowering presaged predictions of a very early harvest and ignited concern about an inherent imbalance between polyphenolic and physiological ripeness, but no sooner had the lacklustre mid-summer dispelled this fear, than anxiety focused on the dangers of rot, mildew (oidium) and other such disagreeable phenomena.
So there was triage and so there were treatments and then, recalling 2002 perhaps, there was abundant rainfall in the first week of September – abundant, but not torrential, and not especially long in duration. Thereafter followed a long anti-cyclonic period and the warm weather described above. It was warm enough, certainly, to exile any vestigial threats of disease and to ensure that the grapes ripened properly. It was ripe, certainly, but not too ripe; the cooler midsummer nights have added definition and pleasing freshness to the white wines.
Harvest dates were generally fairly ‘normal’, if such a word still has currency, and most of the fruit had been successfully picked by the end of the second week of September. Careful selection was required to undermine the vagaries of the uneven ripening, but the final crop was of a respectable size and the resultant grape juice achieved impressive analytical levels, careless of the season’s challenges.
Vintage Assessment Southern Rhône
The South does not recall 1991 with quite as much nostalgia as the North, so we shall restrict anecdotal comparisons to more recent vintages, although no-one seemed to agree on a specific vintage to highlight. The most nominated candidates were, in order: 2006, 1999, 2001 and 2004. To complicate the issue yet further, for Vincent Avril the wines have the tannins of the rather plush 2009 and the elegance of the underrated 2008 – therefore the best features of both.
Comparisons are perhaps odious after all, especially after such a heterogeneous and unpredictable season. Following pretty much the same weather patterns as further up-stream, 2011 started with a very hot and dry spring (the subsequent rainfall in July entirely beneficial) with any potential damage immediately banished by the Mistral wind.
It was only hereafter, when one has every right to expect decent weather, that things became more complicated. Indeed, it was the combination of further uninspiring conditions at the beginning of August and exceptionally warm conditions towards the end of that month, which engendered confusion and resulted in a rather uneven ripening. The late-season grapes such as Mourvèdre and Counoise tended to out-perform the earlier ripening varieties such as Syrah and Cinsault (some of which were shocked into a shut-down phase when the unexpected heat returned and did not have sufficient time to recover properly).
Grenache, after the blight of coulure in 2010, fared well. As a result, it makes up a larger percentage of the blends once again, triggering, as always, the seemingly circular debates about excessive alcohol levels and over-ripe wines. One cannot have it both ways; these wines have delightful, charming, sweet fruit and supple, approachable tannins. More quantity, less tannin; more approachable, less alcohol. These wines may be less immediately seductive to those for whom concentration is all but are certainly more attractive for the rest of us. In short, they are a pure delight.
Simon Field MW, Rhône Buyer
Prices:
Bottle
£55.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer
Energetic, dynamic and likeable, Yves Cuilleron is seen as the most influential and, at times, the most outspoken of the Northern Rhône producers. The completely rebuilt winery at Chavanay is testament to both his success and ambition; Yves’ skill lies in disseminating the minutiae of terroir (now, in my view, with even better results as the use of new wood has been relaxed a little). ‘Tendu’ seemed to be his most popular adjective used to describe the 2011s: ‘tight-knit, nervous, and with potential’ is my rather prosaic and, in all probability, not entirely accurate translation, a little close to a personification perhaps.
Bottle
£60.00
Case price (Bottle 12 x 75cl)
Bottle 12 x 75cl 2cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl 5cs
Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer
This is yet another Châteauneuf-du-Pape A-lister found on our list… were will it all end? Isabel Ferrando’s vines are mainly located in the southern sector; her modus operandus is fairly traditional with no destemming, cement tank maturation and a taste for delestage. Her out-look and temperament, however, fall into the more modern camp, as manifested by the multiplicity of differing cuvées, all, thankfully pleasingly different form each other.
Magnum
£113.75
Magnum 6 x 150cl 1cs
Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer
The loquacious Didier Negron recognises that Grenache was plentiful in 2011, unlike the coulure-blighted 2010, but that it had to be treated with care. The juxtaposition of an impressive early flowering and a cool but dry mid-season has engendered a heterogeneous crop, rather like 2007, but in a minor key. Didier’s clever manipulation of differing sizes of container in order to undermine the oxidative nature of Grenache, has ensured the purity and definition of his wines. He is proving a most worthy successor to the great Jean-Jacques Sabon, his father-in-law, who died last year.
Bottle
£140.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Bottle
£175.00
Bottle 12 x 75cl 6cs
Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer
These wines sit at the very pinnacle of perfection; year in year out they are applauded as the best in the Rhône Valley. They therefore need no further introductory superlatives from me, merely the tedious reminder that they are very scarce and, needless to say, very much in demand. We only have small volumes of the wines featured below, so I would encourage you to place any orders for these as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
Bottle
£225.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Magnum 3 x 150cl 2cs
Bottle
£290.00
Bottle 12 x 75cl 1cs
Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer
The fruits of the labours of the eponymous Pape de Condrieu, now in the able hands of his daughter Christine and son-in-law Paul, continue to raise the bar for Viognier. Paul advises that the 2011 season was heterogène and tardive, before adding, with a twinkle in his eye, that he prefers later harvests. Complexity is engendered, and that famous mineral finish, re-defining any preconceived ideas that one may have had about Condrieu, is famous indeed this year.
Bottle 12 x 75cl 1cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer
Sabon is a familiar name in the Southern Rhône, a little like Marguet in Champagne or Lurton in Bordeaux. Beyond the complicated Napoleonic dynastic maze, there are some excellent vignerons, few more so than siblings Christophe and Isabelle, who farm 20 hectares centred in the Courthzon commune. Fairly traditional winemaking and a pleasingly unassuming manner have not prevented their particular branch of the family from some of the greatest plaudits of all.
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Bottle 12 x 75cl 1cs
Bottle 12 x 75cl 1cs
Bottle 12 x 75cl 1cs
Bottle 12 x 75cl 1cs
Bottle 12 x 75cl 1cs
Hamish Orr-Ewing, Private Account Manager
This white is a joy from start to finish and it is a shame that there is so little made. The blend is 33% Roussanne, 30% Clairette, 30% Grenache Blanc and the rest Bourboulenc, all aged on its lees in tanks and with some new oak for the Roussanne. The rich pear-skin honied style of the Roussanne finds a perfect foil in the spicy crisp Clairette. The subtle shift in encepagement over the years has led to an extremely positive re-appraisal of the whites from this famous bastion of powerful red wines and this is a perfect example.
Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer
Domaine des Sénéchaux continues to climb the village’s unwritten hierarchical ladder. The Cazes family (Ch. Lynch-Bages), who own the property, are generous both in their financial investment and in their lack of interference. Winemaker Bernard Tranchecoste has done them proud. 2011 was marked for him by the contrast between its early flowering and the slowing down of the hitherto precocious cycle with some tricky weather towards the end of July. Oidium was conquered finally and the harvest was brought in, in good volume, but over an extended period. The harvest was finished by the end of the first week of October.
Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer
Domaine des Sénéchaux continues to climb the village’s unwritten hierarchical ladder. The Cazes family (Ch. Lynch-Bages), who own the property, are generous both in their financial investment and in their lack of interference. Winemaker Bernard Tranchecoste has done them proud. 2011 was marked for him by the contrast between its early flowering and the slowing down of the hitherto precocious cycle with some tricky weather towards the end of July. Oidium was conquered finally and the harvest was brought in, in good volume, but over an extended period. The harvest was finished by the end of the first week of October.
Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer
Les Vins de Vienne has almost out-grown their progenitors, in the sense that their négociant arm is now far more significant than that of Messrs Cuilleron, Villard and Gaillard. If the move from the precipitous and chaotic Seyssuel winery has taken a little romance from the project, the brilliant winemaking of Pascal Lombard has ensured an increase in quality and the forging of a distinct identity, important in what may once have been conceived as a somewhat amorphous project.
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer
Pierre describes 2011 as complicated, ironically as a result of the warm spring, which advanced the cycle so much that it set things out of kilter for the more normal temperatures at other times during the season. Nonetheless, he is satisfied with the results. He detects equilibrium, a ‘Golden Mean’ perhaps, which happily combines elegance and power, its higher acidity making these wines very food-friendly.
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Fergus Stewart, Private Account Manager
The usual palette of grapes has been employed here, to a greater or lesser extent, with perhaps a little more Grenache than in 2010 and increased emphasis placed on some of the fashionable underlings such as Vaccerese and Counoise. Mourvèdre is important as always, making up over 30% and contributing savoury somewhat sauvage notes to complement the ripe black fruit core. The finish has a distinctly sweet feel to it this year, with an almost Burgundian elegance allied to a whisper of aniseed and eucalypt.
Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer
Ch. de Beaucastel’s 200 hectare estate is farmed organically, its other calling cards being the rather controversial vinification à chaud at the start of fermentation and the less contentious use of all 13 of the permitted grape varieties, albeit in somewhat differing volumes. Marc Perrin compares the 2011 with 2000; both were quick off the blocks and finished with an Indian flourish; both were somewhat lacklustre mid-season, which delayed or at least slowed down the growing cycle. Both, he concludes, have produced significantly above average wines. We see no reason to disagree with him.
Bottle 6 x 75cl 3cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Jeb Dunnuck - Wine Advocate #209 - Oct 2013
Bottle 3 x 75cl 2cs
Bottle 3 x 75cl 2cs
Bottle 3 x 75cl 1cs
Bottle 3 x 75cl 1cs
Bottle 3 x 75cl 1cs
Bottle 3 x 75cl 1cs
Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer
Located in the shadows of the spire of the village’s impressive church, Domaine Dumien-Serrette is unassuming and understated, unlike the wines of course, which glory in ripeness and fruit. Gilbert Serrette blends from barrique and larger vats, filled at this stage with the fruits that are distinguished only by whether or not their vines were located en coteau or en demi-coteau. He cites 2011 as an easier and less rustic vintage than 2010; the chronology and tempo of its evolution set in train by a rapid harvest on 14th and 15th September.
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer
These wines sit at the very pinnacle of perfection; year in year out they are applauded as the best in the Rhône Valley. They therefore need no further introductory superlatives from me, merely the tedious reminder that they are very scarce and, needless to say, very much in demand. We only have small volumes of the wines featured below, so I would encourage you to place any orders for these as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer
These wines sit at the very pinnacle of perfection; year in year out they are applauded as the best in the Rhône Valley. They therefore need no further introductory superlatives from me, merely the tedious reminder that they are very scarce and, needless to say, very much in demand. We only have small volumes of the wines featured below, so I would encourage you to place any orders for these as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer
These wines sit at the very pinnacle of perfection; year in year out they are applauded as the best in the Rhône Valley. They therefore need no further introductory superlatives from me, merely the tedious reminder that they are very scarce and, needless to say, very much in demand. We only have small volumes of the wines featured below, so I would encourage you to place any orders for these as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer
Sabon is a familiar name in the Southern Rhône, a little like Marguet in Champagne or Lurton in Bordeaux. Beyond the complicated Napoleonic dynastic maze, there are some excellent vignerons, few more so than siblings Christophe and Isabelle, who farm 20 hectares centred in the Courthzon commune. Fairly traditional winemaking and a pleasingly unassuming manner have not prevented their particular branch of the family from some of the greatest plaudits of all.
Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer
Marie Giraud had deserved the recent flood of plaudits from the great and the good, including one rather influential commentator. With initial guidance from another larger than life character, oenologist Philippe Cambie, she has adopted a biodynamic approach across 18 hectares of vines, most of which are located to the east of the commune. In the early days I was anxious that extraction was concealing fruit quality; this is no longer the case.
Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer
Marie Giraud had deserved the recent flood of plaudits from the great and the good, including one rather influential commentator. With initial guidance from another larger than life character, oenologist Philippe Cambie, she has adopted a biodynamic approach across 18 hectares of vines, most of which are located to the east of the commune. In the early days I was anxious that extraction was concealing fruit quality; this is no longer the case.
Laura Atkinson, Private Account Manager
All six white varieties are given pretty much equal billing here (Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Picardin, Bourboulenc, Roussanne and Picpoul, as if you didn’t know). The white goes through three distinct ages; from almost tropical hazelnut and pineapple favours of youth, to Riesling almond essence fascination after seven years and then finally, later on, to the calm wisdom begat of honey, flint and remembrance of times past.
Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer
A variety of pleasing coincidences allowed me to taste chez Vincent Avril no fewer than three times in 2012, a huge, rare privilege and proof, were proof needed, of his dedication and thoughtful approach to vinification. He compares 2011 to 2001, but also senses that it has 2/3 of the character of 2009 and 1/3 of 2008. His love of Mourvèdre over Syrah is cleverly illustrated and his anxiety at the fact that over 70% of the village’s crop is sold en vrac perhaps explains that in order to make wine as superlative as this, one has to farm at a parsimonious 18 hl/hr.
Tom Cave, Cellar Plan Manager
Made from 80% Marsanne and 20% Roussanne, the Prestige has been matured in barrique. The wine is generously coloured and combines citric definition with a waxy nougat richness and fresh finish.
Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer
Stéphane and Sandrine have built what I think a Valence Estate Agent would describe as a ‘dream house’ in the steep Cornas hillside behind St Peray. An unfeasible amount of glass ensures that the views of the serpentine Rhône are spectacular indeed; let us hope that window taxes have been abolished in this part of the Ardèche. Behind the property lies the eponymous tunnel, a former railway track long since abandoned, but now destined for summer parties and receptions. Stéphane is pleased with his 2011 wines; he praises their aromatic harmony and the quality of the fruit.
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Fergus Stewart, Private Account Manager
A specific and presumably undisclosed parcel with distinctive blue marl soil is the source of the top Montirius wine. Dense and yet light on its feet; austere and yet fantastically ripe, this wine weaves a glorious web of paradox and complexity. Garrigue, ripe plum, spice and gentle salinity are all pleasingly entwined.
Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer
With 22 years of biodynamic viticulture behind them Christine and Eric Saurel have long been in the vanguard of a philosophy which does not tolerate half measures. Their commitment and sometimes near-religious sense of vocation is well served by 80 hectares stretched across the pleasingly named Plateau de Garrigues, all in the shadow of the equally evocative Dentelles de Montmirail. The fact that daughter Justine has just spent a year making wine in New Zealand is indicative not only of an evangelical approach but also of a pleasing receptiveness to ideas and innovation, not that much of either are actually required here.
Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer
The alliance of two of the greatest houses of the Rhône, Jaboulet and Perrin, with Nicolas Jaboulet as the master of ceremonies, has promise indeed, but promise is worth little if the raw materials (in this case the vineyards), are not from the top rank. We have little to fear on this count, especially when it comes to Hermitage itself where, unsurprisingly, the Jaboulet influence has been brought to bear with exceptional results.